Standards: SS8A11 Provide supporting details for an answer from text, interview for oral history,
check validity of information from research/text, and identify strong vs. weak arguments.
SS8A416 Identify key ideas and influences of Jacksonian democracy
Objective: Today I will begin the DBQ on Andrew Jackson.
Essential Question: After today’s exercise, do you think America is a true democratic society?
Ticket Out: List at least five rights you think should be included in a demorcatioc society?
Materials: DBQ Hook Exercise, Pen or Pencil
Agenda:
1. Bell work
2. Review previous chapters (First Political Parties, Jefferson, War of 1812,)
3. Introduce Jackson DBQ Hook
4. Powerpoint
4. Recap
Vocabulary: Aristocracy, theocracy, plutocracy, democracy, meritocracy, kleptocracy,
monocracy, monarchy and speculation.
Homework: None
Accommodations:
Check Comprehension
Think/Pair/Share
Smart Technology
Extra Time if Needed
Jackson DBQ Lesson Plan - Shorter Version (SV)
DAY I
HOOK Complete the Hook Exercise on democracy.
Hook Exercise Unit III
How Democratic Was Andrew Jackson?
Defining Key Terms
There are many terms used in the study of history and social studies that feel very familiar but
are hard to define. For example:
Just what is political power?
What is social change?
What exactly are civil rights?
What do we mean when we say America is a democratic society?
We do not have time here to examine all of these terms, but we will look briefly at the last.
What is democracy?
I. Looking at the Roots
“Kratos” is a Greek word that means strength or power. It is the root word for
“-ocracy” which is English for “rule or government by.” Therefore, if you had a pond that
was ruled by ducks you would have a “duckocracy.” Now, “duckocracy” is not a legitimate
word, but the following terms are. Match each with the correct defining term.
aristocracy
rule by the rich
theocracy
rule by one person
plutocracy
rule by thieves
democracy
rule by the nobility or titled people
meritocracy
rule by disorganized bunches of people
kleptocracy
rule by church leaders
mobocracy
rule by the people
monarchy
rule by the most capable
II. A Brief Consideration of Democracy.
In this document based question you will be asked if President Andrew Jackson was a true
champion of democracy. If a person is honest-to-goodness democratic, which of the following
does he or she have to support? Circle your answers. Be ready to explain your
choices.
voting rights for all adults equal income for all working adults
the right to run for political office complete freedom of speech
dress codes in public schools abortion rights
majority rule civil disobedience (breaking laws you think unjust)
If time permits, start…
BACKGROUND Have students read the Background Essay. Be sure they are oriented in time
(see Time ESSAY Line) and place (see Map). The essay addresses four topics: Jackson's
boyhood, his military career, his entry into presidential politics, and Jackson's notions about
democracy.
DOCUMENT After handing out the document packets, ask students to skim each of the
documents. Ask what images, or ideas stand out. Next, ask students if there are any documents
that can be grouped together. Explain that these groupings can be called analytical categories.
Homework For homework, ask students to read through the documents and finalize their
analytical categories. They should then place each document in the appropriate category. Explain
to students that by doing this they are really formulating a simple outline. Outlines of document
groupings are due at the beginning of the next class.
Objective: Today, I will review the background of Andrew Jackson and begin my analysis
sheets.
Bell Work – Bucket the documents/ categorize
The Documents:
Document 1: Voting for Presidential Electors -A State-by-State View
Document 2: The Election of 1828: One Historian's View
Document 3: "King Andrew the First" (a cartoon)
Document 4: Jackson's Veto of the National Bank
Document 5: Daniel Webster's Reply to Jackson's Bank Veto Message
Document 6: Jackson Discusses Rotating Government Officials
Document 7: The Swartwout Case: A Study in Corruption
Document 8: Jackson on Native Americans and Indian Removal
Document 9: The Cherokee Plea
Document 10: Map - Indian Removal
Document 11: Jackson's Letters about His Adopted Native American Son
DAY 2 / Day 3
Discuss outlines. Drawing from students' homework, create an outline on the board that
approaches the outline in the Teacher Document List.
Using an overhead projector, examine one or more documents together as a class. On a
ANALYSIS transparency, model the kind of notation you expect for each document. Then, in
pairs or groups of three, have students analyze the documents, making notations either in the
margins or on Document Analysis Sheets.
DISCUSSION
Teacher Document Notes - Shorter Version (SV)
Document 1 : Voting for Presidential Electors - A State-by-State View
Content Notes: Teaching Tips:
Both Documents 1 and 2 place Jackson in the By 1836 there were 25 states in the Union. Ask
middle of a larger democratizing spirit sweeping students how many states had already allowed
the United States. It is important to note that people to elect the electors by 181 6. (1 3) Which
Jackson was both the product and the cause of states had already chosen this path? (See Map in
this wave of egalitarianism. (Background Essay.)
The Methods of Electing Presidential Electors chart is a good way of showing the shift in power
from the wealthy elite, who still controlled many of the state legislatures, to the more common,
less prosperous classes in society.
The framers of the Constitution saw the Electoral College as a way to keep less educated groups
in society from making a bad decision when electing the President.
It is important to note that by the time Jackson was elected in 1828, the process of allowing the
people to choose electors was nearly complete. Jackson did not cause this change, but he clearly
benefitted from it. Ask students if this document helps answer the DBQ question. (Not really – it
only provides a context for understanding Jackson's rise to power.) Ask students where this
document might be used in their final essays. (in the introduction as they are setting up the
question and providing background) The teacher might tell students that South Carolina is in a
familiar role as rebel. The South Carolinians under the leadership of Jackson's first V.P, John C.
Calhoun, had almost started a civil war with the Tariff and Nullification Crisis. They also were
the first state to secede, of course, from the Union after Lincoln was elected in 1860.
Document 2: The Election of 1828: One Historian's View
Content Notes:
Remind students that the "Revolution of 1800" was the election of Thomas Jefferson and his
defeat of the John Adams and Alexander Hamilton led Federalist Party. This peaceful transition
of power from one party to another is a hallmark of American style democracy.
Remind students that Jackson was the first president from west of the Appalachian Mountains.
Not only was there a class shift in power, but a regional shift as well. This might also be a good
time to share the story of Jackson's 1829 inauguration party held at the White House. At least
one observer recounts that many of the 20,000 people who followed Jackson from his
inauguration to the reception nearly pressed to death their new president as they tried to shake his
hand. Not only were Jackson's clothes ripped, thousands of dollars of White House China was
destroyed, ladies fainted, men left the party with bloody noses, and those who could not exit the
party through the front door were seen climbing out the White House windows.
In this document and in Document 5, Daniel Webster comes across as an enemy of Jackson.
While it is true that Webster hated Jackson for political reasons, he did side with him on one of
the most important issues of the 1830s, the Tariff and Nullification Crisis. Webster's insistence
of the primacy of federal law over states' rights appealed to Jackson at least on the issue of the
tariff.
Teaching Tips:
Emphasize to the students that this document does not really discuss any specific action of
Andrew Jackson. It does not provide an answer to the question, was Jackson democratic. It does,
however, suggest that because of Jackson a certain group of people felt connected to the
government for the first time. Just like Document 1, this document might be referenced in the
introduction or even the conclusion. Have students underline the single phrase from this
document that they would like to quote in the essays. Ask why they chose what they did.
Document 3: "King Andrew the First" (a cartoon)
Content Notes: Teaching Tips:
Critics of Andrew Jackson believed he ignored the separation of powers among the three
branches of government. Here Jackson stands with the veto power in hand, the Constitution
under foot, and two key Congressional efforts -the re-chartering of the National Bank and an
internal improvement bill (perhaps the Maysville Road bill) - under another foot. The cartoonist
believes that Jackson is thwarting constitutional democracy. Note the wary American eagle
holding up Jackson's work table. One gets the feeling that the nation may be on its last
democratic leg. This cartoon appeared during the campaign for Jackson’s second term. Jackson
won that election by a considerable margin receiving 55% of the popular vote and winning 219
electoral votes to 49 for runner-up Henry Clay. Apparently most voters did not see Jackson as a
would-be king, or at least weren't fearful of the prospect.
Have students begin their cartoon analysis by -pointing out details. What is Jackson standing on?
(See Content Notes.) What does it mean when you "walk all over" something? What is holding
up the table? Significance? (See Content Notes.) What is Jackson holding in his hands? (a veto
sign and a scepter) What is a scepter? (a staff held by a ruler as a symbol of authority) What is
Jackson wearing on his head? (A crown)Taking all the details together, what is the cartoonist’s?
message? (See Content Notes.)
Document 4: Jackson's Veto of the National Bank
Content Notes: Teaching Tips: 1
Next to slavery, the most hotly debated issue in Congress in the entire 19th century may have
been re-chartering the national bank. For Andrew Jackson, the bank pitted poor farmers and
factory workers against those wealthy Americans who would take advantage of them. The bank
could hurt the nation in several ways. One, it could limit the loans it gave out and make money
tight. This hurt farmers who tend to be debtors and would benefit from being able to pay back
with inflated dollars. Two, the bank hurt democracy by favoring certain Congressmen with lower
interest loans, thereby influencing their votes on key issues. Jackson believed that he must
destroy the bank in order to Relying entirely on the words in the document, ask students to
explain why Jackson does not like the Bank of the United States. (1. Stock ownership isin the
hands of foreigners and a few hundred rich Americans. 2. The directors of the bank are mostly
chosen by the rich stockholders. 3. There is no one, therefore, looking out for the interest of the
average American.)*Ask students if they can think of ways that the National Bank might actually
hurt the average person. (See Content Notes.)
Ask students about how the National Bank might help the average person. Protect the people.
Document 5: Daniel Webster's Reply to Jackson's Bank Veto Message
Content Notes: Teaching Tips:
Daniel Webster, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, was an adversary of Jackson. Webster
represented Eastern banking interests. Indeed, at times he received a retainer fee from the
National Bank for legal services. Historical footnote: Jackson eventually caused the fall of the
National Bank by withdrawing government funds and placing them in state banks. The state
banks created too many paper money loans for everybody's taste, Jackson included, which led
Jackson to issue his Species Circular, requiring land mortgages to be paid off in gold or silver.
This, and other factors, led to the Panic of 1837 and a depression. It could therefore be argued
that, in the long run, Jackson hurt the very people he was seeking to help. But the majority of the
American people loved him to the end. Ask students what arguments in Webster's reply 1might
be used to show that Jackson's attack on the -bank was undemocratic. (Two possibilitiesexist: 1.
Jackson's use of the presidential veto squashes the majority vote of both houses in Congress and
extends the power of the president. 2. Jackson’s words encourage a kind of class war between
rich and poor. Reading beyond Webster's words, this conflict would weaken the nation and
democracy with it.)Do students feel Jackson's anti-bank position is democratic or undemocratic?
Why?
Document 6: Jackson Discusses Rotating Government Officials
Content Notes:
This document is the first of two pertaining to the appointment of officeholders. Here Jackson
standup for rotation of officers in government, aka the patronage system or the "spoils system."
Doing the math reveals that Jackson removed 9%of office holders during the first 18 months of
his tenure. Apologists for Jackson have argued that given reasons like illness, corruption and
Incompetence, this is not an outrageous number. Jackson saw it as necessary house cleaning.
Teaching Tips: '1
Is if needed, explain to students the derivation of “spoils." (To the victor go the spoils. Spoils are
the bounty of war just as the right to appoint friends to government positions is one of the perks
of becoming a mayor, or a president. Patronage is a classic way to lock in political control: I
appoint you; you help me get elected in the next election. It was widely used in cities like
Chicago and Boston earlier in the 20th century.)
*Ask students what Jackson said to put a positive, pro-democracy spin on his appointment
power. (He said he would use it to give more Americans an opportunity to participate in
government and to weed out corruption and incompetence.)Do students buy Jackson's argument
that the spoils system is really a democratic tool?
Document 7: The Swartwout Case: A Study in Corruption
Content Notes: Teaching Tips:
The collector of the Port of New York collected tar- Review the main idea of the document.
(Swartwout if on goods arriving in New York harbor. was an embarrassment to Jackson;
Opponents of Jackson saw rotation in office as just behavior made Jackson's position on the
spoils a political device Jackson was using to get his buddy Stem look dies government jobs. It
was another instance of Jackson's abusing his presidential powers andundercutting the smooth
running of government. The Swartwout case was proof of the pudding.When the story of
Swartwout's theft became public, Swarhvout quickly fled to France, and Jackson wasleft angry
and embarrassed. Some 50 years later, in 1883, Congress passed the Pendleton Act which
created a non-partisan Civil Service Commission and established a competitive examination
system for granting many government jobs. It is a system we still have. Mention the Pendleton
Act reform described above. Ask students if Andrew Jackson would have supported this reform.
(This is an interesting question because it would have limited Jackson’s appointment
opportunities. Is the Pendleton Act more democratic than the spoils system Jackson
embraced?)Ask students, when all is said and done, if Jackson’s ideas and actions regarding
appointment to government jobs were democratic or undemocratic.
Q Document 8: Jackson on Native Americans and Indian Removal
Content Notes: Teaching Tips:
Most students will have difficulty, as they should, *Ask students if they think Indian removal
was an -.giving Jackson's position on Indian removal an undemocratic or a democratic act?
Why? Democratic spin. Indeed, removal appears to run students at least to consider Jackson's
side of the counter to the many reform efforts - abolitionism, argument. (See Content Notes.)
Temperance, and public education - that were why Jackson’s arguments should be either
beginning to emerge. Accepted or rejected? It is likely that Andrew Jackson sincerely believed
that removal was the only way to save the eastern and southern Indian tribes from extinction. At
least, that is what he argues here. It is a question that every president before him wrestled with.
Jackson also believed that since it had the approval of most Americans (certainly not all) and
since it promoted the security and economic welfare of many Americans, removal was an act in
the interest of most of the people. In that sense it was democratic. Jackson went to extraordinary
lengths to carry out this policy, including ignoring an 1835 ruling by the Supreme Court that
supported Cherokee rights of sovereignty in Georgia.
Document 9: The Cherokee Plea
Content Notes:
It is important to stress, as it is in any discussion of large scale oppression, that the Cherokee
were not passive victims. Any decent American history textbook will relate that the Cherokee,
along with several other Indian tribes, decided that survival required adapting to the ways of
White America.
The Cherokee settled in towns and farms. Some converted to Christianity. Schools and churches
were built, and Sequoya, the great Cherokee Chief, created an alphabet. There were even some
Cherokee who ran cotton plantations with slave labor. Despite all of these efforts to assimilate,
Jackson insisted that Native Americans could never peacefully live alongside Americans. The
Cherokee eventually took their case to the U.S. Supreme Court. In Worcester K Georgia, the
Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice John Marshall, upheld the Cherokee right to establish their
own nation within the state of Georgia. Jackson ignored the decision and allowed Georgia to
pressure the Cherokee into ceding their lands in1835.The Indian Removal issue was hotly
debated in Congress throughout the 1820s and 1830s. Many people in the country, especially in
New England, felt it was unjust to deny Native Americans a right to their ancestral homelands.
Teaching Tips:
*Ask students to list the reasons the Cherokee do not want to move. An interesting discussion
always emerges when students are asked to rank the strongest of the Cherokee's arguments.
Content Notes. Ask why Jackson was able to ignore the Supreme Court's decision. (maybe
because he knew the majority in Congress supported his position and impeachment was unlikely)
This might be a good time to discuss the concept of tyranny of the majority. Students often
equate majority rule with justice and democracy. Help students broaden their definitions of
democracy by brainstorming times in history when the will of the majority denied basic rights to
the minority. Does a true democracy exist only when the basic rights of all are protected?*Ask
students if the Cherokee today deserve their lands back. Some will say it's too late. The issue of
reparations for many different groups flow naturally from this document.
Essential Question: Do you think Andrew Jackson was democratic?
Ticket Out – What did you learn from this DBQ?
Objective: Students will begin their Dbq Essay
Bell Work-Double bucketing of documents
Vocabulary- Democracy
Agenda:
Guided Essay: Was Andrew Jackson Democratic?
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Introduction
A. Grabber
B. Background on Andrew Jackson
C. Restatement of the Question
D. Thesis and Roadmap- Andrew Jackson was/ was not democratic
because_____________1st reason, __________________ 2nd reason and
________________ 3rd reason
Body Paragraph Reason 1________________
A. Baby Thesis One reason Andrew Jackson was/was not democratic _________
B. Evidence- Use a document to provide 2 or 3 details
C. Argument- This evidence shows that Andrew Jackson was/was not democratic
Body Paragraph Reason 2________________
D. Baby Thesis One reason Andrew Jackson was/was not democratic _________
E. Evidence- Use a document to provide 2 or 3 details
F. Argument- This evidence shows that Andrew Jackson was/was not democratic
Body Paragraph Reason 3________________
G. Baby Thesis One reason Andrew Jackson was/was not democratic _________
H. Evidence- Use a document to provide 2 or 3 details
I. Argument- This evidence shows that Andrew Jackson was/was not democratic
Conclusion- Restate your thesis
A. Summarize key ideas of your argument
B. Explain why this question is significant. Why is it important to judge whether an
American President is democratic or not?
Essential Question: Do you think Andrew Jackson was democratic?
Ticket Out – What did you learn from this DBQ?